In a surprising move, we've learned via MMOGames that Repopulation's developer Above and Beyond Technologies has sold the entirety of The Repopulation to HERO Engine developer Idea Fabrik. The Repopulation will be re-opened and development will begin again soon, while Above and Beyond focuses on Fractured as their main project. Above and Beyond will assist Idea Fabrik with the initial relaunch and transition, as Idea Fabrik is expected to carry out the rest of development while Above and Beyond focuses solely on Fragmented moving forward.
In a forum thread on Above and Beyond's website, the developer sheds some light on the move:
Q: Above and Beyond had announced a plan to port The Repopulation to Unreal Engine previously. Why was there a change of heart? A: A tough choice had to be made last January and at the time with the information available it was deemed that this was the best choice for the game. Over the course of the past year a lot of things have changed, and we felt this was the best possible option to get The Repopulation back out there for everyone to play. Idea Fabrik has the resources and manpower to make sure the game gets released in a solid state so we felt this was best possible option. Q: What does this mean for the Unreal Engine version of The Repopulation? A: Fragmented will continue to be in development in Unreal Engine, but we have no further plans on making a new version of The Repopulation in Unreal Engine as a result. Fragmented will continue to be a single server survival style game, Fragmented will not be made into a MMO. Q: Is Above and Beyond Technologies still involved in the development of The Repopulation? A: Although the game is now under the control of Idea Fabrik, Above and Beyond will be assisting in the transition and providing input where needed. Idea Fabrik will be bringing on their own team to finish the project and will be handling development and communication for the project moving forward. Q: Is this the same version of the game which was available before servers shut down? When can we expect something new? A. The initial re-release of The Repopulation will be the same game it was when servers were closed. However, over the course of the next few months we will have updates that will be released that include many game and graphical updates; which will be announced in the upcoming weeks. Further updates will be implemented by Idea Fabrik with the initial focus on getting the game ready for launch. Q: How will this impact the Kickstarter rewards and different pledge levels that we purchased? A: We have handed over all of the Kickstarter and Steam information over to Idea Fabrik. Idea Fabrik will make their best attempts to fulfill all in game rewards possible. However, the primary focus will be bringing the game back to the players and working with the player feedback towards optimizations and bug fixing. Q: What is going to happen with the website and forum? A: Idea Fabrik will be taking control of the website and all of the services available along with all social media accounts. The Steam page for The Repopulation will be managed by Idea Fabrik as well. Q: When will I be able to play The Repopulation? A: One of Idea Fabrik’s highest priorities is getting the servers back up and making the game playable for everyone who had access previously. You will be able to access the game using your account information that you used before. Idea Fabrik is looking to have the game available in Q1 of 2017 for existing players that have already owned the game before the servers were disabled. Q: When will I be able to purchase The Repopulation to play if I do not own it yet? A: The repopulation will be for sale once the transfer is complete and Repopulation servers are brought back up. Stay tuned for that announcement. Q: Will The Repopulation still have a standalone client or will it require Steam? A: Idea Fabrik has expressed interest in continuing with both clients and purchase options so you will be able to purchase it directly from Idea Fabrik or Steam and play either in the stand alone client or via launching the client from Steam. Q: When was the decision to move into this direction made? A: We began having exploratory discussions several months ago. At that point it was simply an idea being floated around. This was obviously a big decision for both companies and both companies needed to determine if it was the right move to make. After thinking it through we were both in agreeance (sic) that this was the right move to make. Q: Was this done as a result of a lawsuit? A: No, there has never been a lawsuit and nor was there even a threat of one. This was a mutually entered upon deal by both parties. Both parties are entering into this on good faith and want to see The Repopulation succeed.
